Pete McDonald began his career with Western Reserve Land Conservancy in 2005 as a land protection intern and became the Director of Land Stewardship in 2009. Pete oversees the Land Conservancy’s traditional stewardship programs including conservation easement and land stewardship. Ever since Pete was a young child growing up on a farm east of Cleveland, he knew he wanted to save land as he watched intense residential development closing in all around the farm.
Providing leadership to a team of six staff members, Pete’s primary role is to ensure that conservation agreements with landowners are upheld in perpetuity. Pete also oversees the Land Conservancy’s signature parks and preserves program and the advancement of habitat restoration projects on properties owned by the Land Conservancy.
During his tenure with the Land Conservancy, Pete has worked with the staff to develop and grow internal systems for documenting conservation values on properties (habitats, farmland, infrastructure, etc.) using GIS/GPS, and managing large amounts of important information in databases including Access and Salesforce. A deep knowledge of conservation easements and restrictions combined with an applied knowledge of land use has also allowed Pete to help both the Land Conservancy and landowners ensure that properties stay protected in perpetuity.
Pete worked at the Hershey Montessori Farm School and as an independent musician prior to joining the Land Conservancy. He graduated with a degree in Biology from the College of Wooster and spent two summers as a research assistant at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO.
Pete lives on the farm he grew up on in Munson Township, Geauga County with his wife and daughter. He enjoys playing folk, rock, and old-time Appalachian string band music, helping his parents on the farm, and spending time with family and friends outdoors.